Drew Brees surprises high school QB with prosthetic leg after on-field injury that caused amputation

The Saints quarterback surprised high school QB Alex Ruiz in San Diego last weekend with a prosthetic leg after the 17-year-old had to have his right leg amputated below the knee in February.

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Brees also promised to pay for an athletic training prosthesis for Ruiz, who plans to still be a competitive athlete, once he gets used to this one.

"If there's anything above cloud nine, that's where I'm at right now," Ruiz, who got to toss a football with Brees, told local reporters.

Ruiz was a quarterback at Linfield Christian High School in Temecula, California, and wore No. 9 because Brees is his favorite player. His future in football took an unfortunate turn last fall, though, when he sustained a severe knee injury on the field which resulted in the amputation he needed in February.

Drew Brees gave one high school fan a moment he'll never forget. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

He was selected by the Challenged Athletes Foundation to attend a Football 'N' America flag football league last Friday — a league that Brees co-founded last year and that works with local charities.

Ruiz did not think Brees would be there, but his parents knew of the NFL star's plans and managed to keep it a secret from their son.

"It was a very emotional presentation and really exciting for everyone in our league to be a part of it," said Brees, per ESPN.

Brees posted a photo on Instagram Thursday of himself and Ruiz, who was holding the prosthetic he gave him.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on May 17, 2018 at 6:08am PDT

This was not the first time Brees had reached out to the 17-year-old, either.

A friend of Brees' who lives in Temecula told him of the teenager's story and the Saints quarterback sent a signed jersey to him.

"In the back of my mind, I said to myself, 'I hope I get a chance to meet this young man someday," he recalled. "Alex has suffered a long and very difficult road but has remained so positive and insists this set of circumstances will not hold him back. He still has loftier goals than ever for his athletic career and beyond. We wanted to help his dreams come true."